Dan Aykroyd celebrated longtime friend and co-star Bill Murray's 76th birthday with a throwback tribute revealing a wild, previously untold story from the set of Ghostbusters II — a late-night joyride through Central Park on borrowed police motorcycles.

What Aykroyd Shared

In a September 23 Instagram post featuring two throwback photos of the pair on set, Aykroyd wrote: "Happy belated Birthday to the Murricane. The greatest comedy leading man of our time," before recounting the anecdote: "So many adventures over the years. One night shooting GB2, we appropriated two fully equipped police motorcycles from the movie's motor pool and spent an hour chasing each other around a closed Central Park with full lights and sirens."

No Consequences for the Duo

When asked whether he and Murray got into any trouble for the impromptu joyride, Aykroyd was unapologetic: "No consequences," he said, adding simply: "After all, we were Ghostbusters."

When and Where It Happened

Ghostbusters II, released in 1989, was filmed largely in New York City, with much of the sequel's story set five years after the original film — following the Ghostbusters as they lose their credibility due to the property damage caused during their first battle with Gozer the Gozerian, before uniting again against a new supernatural threat rooted in a river of ectoplasmic slime beneath the city.

A Decades-Long Friendship and Franchise Partnership

Aykroyd and Murray have appeared together in all five Ghostbusters films, including the original 1984 movie, the 1989 sequel, the 2016 all-female reboot (in cameo roles), Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), and their most recent appearance together, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024). Aykroyd co-wrote both the original film and its sequel alongside the late Harold Ramis and director Ivan Reitman.

Recalling Murray's Early Confidence in the Franchise

Aykroyd also recently recalled a separate memory of Murray's early instincts about the franchise's potential, sharing on a June episode of The Tom Green Farmcast that midway through filming the original 1984 movie, Murray visited his home above Los Angeles and told him: "You have written, and we are in probably, what's going to be one of the biggest comedies of all time."

Ghostbusters II's Complicated Legacy

While widely considered by fans to be a step down from its beloved 1984 predecessor, Ghostbusters II has developed something of a cult following over the years. Writing for Den of Geek in 2019, Seb Patrick offered a defense of the film: "If it were the only Ghostbusters film, I think it'd have a much better reputation... It's clever, it's funny, it's about good characters played by excellent comic actors, and it's got a solid story that hangs together well."

The Surviving Original Cast

Aykroyd, Murray, and Ernie Hudson remain the surviving members of the original Proton Pack-wielding heroes, following the passing of Harold Ramis in 2014.

What This Story Reflects

The anecdote offers a rare, candid glimpse into the freewheeling atmosphere on the set of one of the era's biggest comedy productions — the kind of behind-the-scenes mischief that's become part of the broader Ghostbusters cast's decades-long, well-documented friendship, evident again in reunion appearances like their 2020 Zoom call for Josh Gad's "Reunited Apart" series. For the original post and more, see the full E! News report.